ViiV’s HIV therapy Triumeq shows efficacy in women

ViiV Healthcare's Triumeq has come out on top in a late-stage study pitting its effectiveness in treating women with HIV against that of an atazanavir-based regimen.

Triumeq is a once-daily dolutegravir-based regimen, containing the un-boosted integrase strand transfer inhibitor dolutegravir and the nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors abacavir and lamivudine, approved for the treatment of HIV in the US in 2014.

The company has now showcased 48-week data from the Phase IIIb, open-label, international, multi-centre ARIA study, which showed superior efficacy for Triumeq (dolutegravir/abacavir/lamivudine) compared with atazanavir boosted with ritonavir (ATV/r) plus tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine (TDF/FTC) in 495 treatment-naïve women living with HIV.

Data reveal statistically superior viral suppression rates at week 48 of 82 percent versus 71 percent, with superiority being driven by lower rates of both virological failures and discontinuations due to adverse events (AEs) in the Triumeq group (33 percent vs 49 percent), the firm noted.

"Women account for over half of the almost 35 million adults living with HIV worldwide, yet unfortunately they are consistently under-represented in HIV clinical trials," noted John C Pottage, chief scientific and medical officer at the firm.

"For this reason, we are committed to ensuring that the specific treatment needs of women are investigated. This trial not only provides physicians with important additional information about Triumeq, it also builds on the strong body of evidence supporting the efficacy of dolutegravir-based regimens in a broad range of patient populations."